Journal box hinge lug with wear plate



April 1960 w. l SCHLEGEL, JR 2,933,353

JOURNAL BOX HINGE LUG WITH WEAR PLATE Filed Oct. 22, 1957 0F ROL LERnvcmss opzw/m oruo, DEGREES United States Patettf JOURNAL BOX HlNGE LUGwrrn WEAR PLATE Walter L. Schlegel, In, Chicago, Ill., assignor toAmerican Steel Foundries, Chicago, ill., a corporation of New JerseyApplication October 22, 1957, Serial No. 691,645

1 Claim. (Cl. '30847) This invention relates to a hinge lug and wearplate for use with a railway journal box.

, As a preface heretofore, it is to be noted that it is the duty oftrained operators to inspect the interiors of .journal boxes. Tofacilitate-the inspection of journal boxes, it is necessary that thejournal box lid open in short, free, uninterrupted, swinging motion to apoint where an angle between the opposing faces of the lid and journalbox is greater than'90". If the angle were to be 90 or less, a partialobstruction in viewing the interior of the journal box would occur. Suchobstructions amount to an incomplete inspection of the journal box.

In the patent to Blattner, No. 2,675,278, issued April 13, 1954, thereis an attempt to rectify the problem en countered, as stated above, inconventional hinge lugs for railway journal boxes. Blattner hasattempted to devise a novel wear plate and binge lug which will alloweasy, single motion, opening and closing movements of the journal box.

As will be seen, my invention comprehends a novel wear plate and a novelhinge lug contour which will definitely permit single motion opening andclosing move ments of a journal box lid to permit inspection of journalbox conditions at various inspection intervals.

Therefore, a primary object of this invention is the provision of animproved journal box hinge lug capable of having a journal box lidpivotally associated therewith with such a lid being capable of movingfreely to opened position.

A further object of this invention is the provision of an improvedjournal box hinge lug having a top surface so arranged and constructedthat mating of the lug and journal box hinge lug wear plate may beeasily and readily attained.

A still further object of this invention is to permit assembly of priorart wear plates to the novel hinge lug when my-novel wear plate is notavailable for emergency repair.-"""

Other objects and advantages will become apparent, to those skilled inthe art, from the succeeding descriptions and accompanying drawings,wherein:

Figure 1 is a cross sectional elevational view taken through the top ofa journal box embodying the present invention;

Figure 2 is an enlarged sectional view of the improved hinge lug andwear plate of Figure 1;

Figure 3 is an enlarged elevational view of the improved wear plate asshown in Figures 1 and 2, and

Figure 4 is a developed line curve illustrating the progressiverelationship between a bearing surface of the wear plate, an axis of amoving lid roller, and an axis of an aperture in the hinge lug.

It is to be noted that certain structure details have been omitted fromcertain views where said details are believed to be more adequatelyshown in other views.

Describing the invention in detail and referring to the drawings, thejournal box, generally designated 10, may be made up in part by a roofor top wall 12 and side ICE walls 14 (only one of which is fragmentarilyshown), and these walls have a lid seating face 16 defining an accessopening 18 of the journal box. Upstanding substantially vertical fromthe roof adjacent to a front edge thereof may be a hinge lug 2a which isdisposed centrally of the journal box, considered in a transversedirection. The hinge lug 20 may comprise transversely spaced hinge ears22 (only one of which is shown) each of which may have a. rounded outersurface 24 so designed and disposed that a journal box lid 25 may freelypivot about the hinge lug. The hinge cars 22 may be provided withre-entrant flanges 26 which strengthen the hinge lug against stresseswhich may be exerted thereon during service of the journal box.

Extending between and forming an integral part of the lug 20 may be abearing block 28 with the block 28 being joined to the roof 12 by a neckportion 30. The hinge lug 2% may be provided with atransverselyextending aperture 32 which is preferably lined with a splitbushing 3 and a pin 33 extending entirely through the aperture topivotally connect the journal box lid 25 to the journal box it A shoe orroller 35, preferably spring-pressed, may be employedto characterize ameans incorporated in the journal box lid as part thereof to hold thelid 25 in either opened or closed positions. Also, for purposes ofillustration, the lid 25, in Figure 1, is shown pivoted to fully openedposition at an angle of approximately 110 between normally engaged faces36 and 16.

The bearing block 28 may have a vertical forwardly exposed front orplane surface which extends transversely of the journal box forsubstantially the entire distance between the spaced cars 22. The face40 may be disposed substantially parallel to but, however, spaced from atransverse vertical center plane, with this latter plane indicated by adiagrammatic line x-x, passing through the center 38 of aperture 32. Inactual practice,

the front face is preferably spaced from the vertical axis of the hingelug by a distance approximating of an inch. This latter dimension inconjunction With the dimension of the novel wearplate (to be hereafterdescribed) is able to provide sufficient holding pressure means tomaintain the lid in a closed position. Merging with the front face 40may be a short cylindrical surface 41. In actual practice, the smallcylindrical surface 41 may be formed on a radius approximating "71 of aninch.

Merging with the rear portion of surface 41 may be a flat surface 43inclined rearwardly and downwardly and is preferably formed by machiningso that the terminal points A and B, of the line 48 may be horizontallydis placed 4 inch to the left and right, respectively, of the axis x-x,as seen in Figure 2, the purpose of the surface- 4-8 to be hereinafternoted at the time of explanation of my novel wearplate. J Merging withthe flat surface 48, may be an inclined surface 46 disposed at an anglepreferably of 37 /z with respect to the axis x-x.

Rigidly secured to the bearing block 28, such as by welds 583 may be awearplate or upwardly facing cam surface 52. of relatively hard,wear-resistant material and which presents a relatively smooth surfaceover which the spring pressed roller 35 may move. The wear plate ispreferably of a length less than the distance between the hinge ears 22.

The upwardly facing cam surface is in the shape of an ellipse developedfrom a major axis A1 and minor axis A2 which are struck from point Ydisposed forwardly of a vertical plane x-x defined by the hinge axis 38of the hinge pin 33. Point Y, as clearly seen in Figure 3, is disposedabove the level of hinge axis 32. This elliptical surface extends fromD2 to D3 and at its forward end preferably merges with aparti-cylindrical surface 56 which extends from D1 to D2 and is struckfrom center C on radius R. Point D2 is determined H r p A a byintersection of the elliptical surface with an arc struck from center C1on radius R1, center C1 being located on an extension of the minor axisA2. The wear plate also comprises a preferably vertical plane surface 54and a preferably sloping plane surface 60 arranged conventionally at anangle 'of about 37 /2 with respect to surface 54. Surface 54 extendsfrom vD to D1 and surface 60 extends from D3 to D4. l V

Referring now to Figure 4, there is shown the relationship between'therespective parts. Cylindrical surface 56 aids in preventing accidentalor unwarranted displacement-of the roller 35 when the lid is in theclosed position. This feature is brought out where station C representsthe location of the roller when the lid is being pivoted to openposition with the roller at a point farthest removed from the axis ofthe aperture, just as the roller is about .to pass over the hump of theapex said point being represented by station D. The curve line fromstation D to station E represents the effective downhill bearing anglefor the roller as it passes over the hump of the apex and traverses thelarge elliptical surface. The disposition of the terminal surface 60permits the top face thereof to approach closer to the aperture axis tothereby permit the roller 35 to continue its downhill movement along thesurface 60 with the result that the lid 25 effects a complete openingmovement, as evidenced in Figure 4 by the developed line from station Eto station F. During the closing movement of the lid 25, the

roller will move at an easy and constant uphill sweep of the top faceuntil the roller passes over the apex at which time the lid 25, throughthe action of the springpressed roller against the bearing block 28,will be seated against surface 16.

The arrangement of the novel contour of the wearplate and hinge lugaffords a space or clearance between the upper surface of the bearingblock and the bottom face of the wearplate. If, during production ormachining of the wearplate, an error should occur with the result thatthe preferred construction of the wearplate was not achieved, the novelcontour of the bearing block would still permit assembly of thewearplate thereto. Such an arrangement has a decided advantage over thepatent to Blattner as the clip and lug of Blattner would, of necessity,have to be manufactured to very close tolerances. Any errors inmachining either the bearing block or clip of Blattner would render, theclip useless;

Also, my novel contour on the bearing block 23 permits assembly of priorart wearplates, such as the clip in the Blattner design, to bearingblock 28. The contour of the bearing block in the Blattner disclosurelimits the application of wearplates to the Blattner structure.

It should also be noted that even though Blattner recognizes the problemregarding the opening aud closing of journal box lids at times ofjournal box inspections, he has not solved the encountered problem. Thecontour of the Blattner clip requires the application of uneven openingor closing forces on the lid after and before, re-' spectively, thespring-pressed roller has passed over the hump of the wearplate. As isseen, my novel wearplate permits the lid to open and close uponapplication of a constant force after and before, respectivel thespringpressed roller has passed over the hump of the apex. Consequently,the Blattner clip does not facilitate the work of an inspector duringthe time of journal box inspection. 7

Additionally, it is seen that the force to close the lid on applicantsdevice is greater than the force required to be applied to the Blattnerdevice to accomplish the same result. The difference in lid closingforce requirementsis the result of applicants novel cam surface on thewearplate. Therefore, it is seen that considerable wear must occur oneither or both of the mating parts of the wearplate and lid inapplicants device before the lid. could move from a fully opened to aclosed position when such a result is not desired. It is probable,however, that the lid of the Blattner device wouldclose, when notdesired to do so, after only a small amount of wear has occurred to oneor both of the lid. mating parts.

It is to be understood that the terms and expressions A journal boxcomprising a lug with a central opening to receive a pivot pin for anassociated lid, a wear plate on said lug covering the top thereof, saidplate having a portion with an upwardly facing cam surface and anotherportion with a forwardly facing vertical cam surface, said plate havinga third portion with a parti-cylindrical surface struck from a centerdisposed forwardly of a vertical plane defined by the hinge axis of saidopening, said parti-cylindrical surface merging with said cam surfaces,said upwardly facing cam surface being in the form of an ellipse havingmajor and minor axes struck from a point between said plane and saidforwardly facing surface, said point being above the level of said axis,said upwardly facing surface being so formed'and arranged that the liftof an associated lid roller riding on said upwardly facing surfaceduring opening movement of the lid from about 30 to about is representedby a substantially straight line on a graph wherein the abscissarepresents opening of the lid in degrees and the ordinate representslift of the roller, the first mentioned portion of the plate and saidthird portion thereof being spaced from the top of said lug. 1

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS2,675,278 Blattner Apr. 13, 1954

